by Robyn Roste/Special to The News
On Saturday, at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver, beginner and experienced Badass Babes dancers will perform as part of a live show called “Love, Letting Go and Living Your Best Life.”
Badass Babes is a Maple Ridge-based commercial dance training company for women that was co-founded by dancer, choreographer, and videographer Danny Davalos and dancer, choreographer, and women’s mentor Chelsea Davalos.
Their goal is to teach dance while also improving mindset and self-esteem barriers, Chelsea explained.
“I’ve found we dance better and have more fun when we can implement positive mindsets, even when we’re working hard to become professionals or towards other goals,” she said.
“We focus on self-talk. Training doesn’t start with physical dancing, it starts with what you say to yourself.”
In April 2021, Davalos relocated to her hometown of Maple Ridge from Toronto, shortly after losing her mother. Although dancing in Toronto had been her dream, she wanted to be closer to family – so she could grieve.
“It was emotional leaving Toronto, but everything in me felt like I had to be here, to be closer to my mom – this is her city too,” Chelsea said.
She shared her journey on Instagram and discovered many others in her community were looking for ways to process their grief, too.
That support and sense of community inspired her to launch a four-week program called “High Heals Dance” shortly after moving back to Maple Ridge, which was 50 per cent dance training and 50 per cent mindset training – to help people heal from whatever they were going through.
“I started it because I felt like I needed it, but I looked around and realized a lot of other people needed it too,” she said. “At the time it was hard for me to dance because my mindset was so dark.”
When she was living and working in Toronto, Chelsea danced for groups like Fifth Harmony, on the red carpets for events and for Canadian music artists. She also landed a role for a national Sport Chek campaign and performed three separate times for the Much Music Video Awards.
It was during this time that she and her now-husband, Danny, started Badass Babes Dance. Together, they have trained thousands of women and put on upwards of 20 live shows for hundreds of spectators.
“Being able to facilitate training, performance, and experience for so many dancers has absolutely been a highlight in my career,” Chelsea told The News.
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“Whether we’re training women for fun or they’re professional dancers, it’s built on a foundation of passion and empowerment over everything else.”
As Badass Babes continues to grow and change, Chelsea is now setting her sights on Los Angeles, which was a dream she and her mother shared for her career.
“Every time my mom would see me dance she’d say, ‘Why are you still here? You need to be in LA!’” the dancer recounted.
Although these are her next steps, Chelsea remains committed to her local community, dancing four times a week in Vancouver and running dance workshops through Badass Babes.
The May 14 live show at the Rio Theatre is presented by Halt Your Hustle and stars The Emotions in Motions Movement Collective, a dance company with more than 75 members. In addition to Badass Babes, other special guests will include Zynth & Co, Pin Up Posse, The Lolas, Samba Fusion, Disco Squad, VTDS: Tap Artistry, RollerBabesYVR, LFS Dance, and L’Amour ProTeam.
To learn more people can visit badassbabesdance.com or follow on Instagram @badassbabesdance.
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